Highschool Highs
by SteneMichele
Summary: Edward described high school as purgatory, but what does he view it as after he meets Bella? What is it like for him to turn down the role of valedictorian? To reject prom dates? To hear Bella's heart beat two classrooms over?
1. Valedictorian

I heard his thoughts before I could see him. They were frantic, as usual, but there was that rare disappointment interweaved in his frenzied mind. Normally I didn't give Eric Yorkie the time of day, but my name was in the forefront of his mind. I took extra time at my locker, trying to delay speaking with him until I knew the issue that seemed to concern me.

_…Mr. Banner just gave him those extra points because he was helping the new girl. Seriously, do some guys have to have everything? It isn't enough that Edward Cullen gets the girl that everybody's crushing on? No- he has to be _valedictorian_, too. _

Ah. That was the issue. Of course, I had realized that I would be valedictorian. My only competition was Rosalie and Jasper, but Jasper always intentionally failed the last test of the year in an attempt to avoid the spotlight. Rosalie… She had never strived to fulfill the role in the first place. I slammed my locker door, frustrated with the inevitable encounter. These trivial human predicaments angered me to no end, as if I needed this _now. _Bella was probably waiting at the Volvo, being persuaded by Alice. It had been like that ever since Alice had that dreaded vision. I couldn't leave her alone with Bella without having to rush back and pull Bella away. After all, didn't my irritating sister realize how complex a position I was in? I couldn't change Bella now. Not after everything that she has to live for.

"Hey, man," Eric called, holding out his fist. I nodded shortly, ignoring his juvenile fist pound. I watched from my peripheral vision as he fell into step beside me, letting his arm drop pitifully to his side.

"How are you?" I asked politely, gritting my teeth. Eric shrugged, running his hand through his oily hair.

"Been better," he admitted, though his thoughts told me that he had never been worse. _Jackass. Thinks he's better than the rest of us. _"I heard about the- I heard you were valedictorian. That's great, man." _Maybe he'll die before graduation. Damn it, Eric, you gotta stop thinking so cruelly. They'd never appoint you diplomat if they knew half the things that went through your head._

"Really?" I replied, though I knew, of course. "I didn't realize." Eric opened his mouth to say something, but the tendons in my arms warned him silently against it.

_Being sarcastic, eh? When I make my salutatorian speech, everybody will realize how much of a jerk you are. _"Yeah, so where are you going?" _Beat Yale, dumbass. _There were several possible ways that I could answer this question, but every one of them would be a lie. I could say that Bella and I were going to Dartmouth in the fall, but God knows that's a long shot. I could say that I was going to the University of Alaska Northeast, but Bella has her eyes set in another direction. Everything that I did revolved around her, and that was the way that it was going to be.

"I haven't responded to any of my acceptance letters yet," I muttered. There was only one acceptance letter at the house, in all honesty, and I had no intention of replying to it. I could almost feel the astonishment emanating off of Eric. Poor kid; he had applied early decision to Yale.

"You're kidding!" he blurted out, so loudly that Angela Weber jumped and spun around. I cast her a quick smile; her thoughts were refreshing. _Oh, poor Edward. He's being condemned to one of Eric's monologues. I'll go help him out. _

I would have to thank Angela later. She was walking over, juggling an immense pile of books in her hands.

"Hey guys," she said, smiling her innocent smile. "Edward, Bella's waiting for you." For show only, I glanced at my watch. It was so easy to like Angela.

"Thanks, Angela," I muttered, feigning regret as I backed away from Eric. His face was distraught, as if the world was caving in. For him, being awarded the title of salutatorian was probably the equivalent of imminent death.

"Have a nice weekend!" Angela called, waving. I spun around on my heels, jogging out of the building at a slightly-faster-than-human pace. Bella was waiting at the car, but she had only just arrived there. Jasper and Alice were on the other side of the parking lot, joking around with Emmett as Rosalie watched from her BMW. I nodded shortly at them, keeping my eyes on Bella.

"Congratulations, Mr. Valedictorian," she teased, pulling me in by the collar. I kissed her quickly, unwilling to lose my self-control in such a public place. It was not the _thirst _that was tempting me; it was the _passion_.

"I don't know if I'm accepting it," I admitted, entwining my fingers into Bella's. I shrugged in response to her grimace.

"You deserve it, Edward," Bella pointed out, though I disagreed.

"I deserved it when I got it the first time that I graduated high school," I corrected her. "Now is different. These people-" I gestured around towards the summer-hungry teenagers in the parking lot. "-only get things like this once." Bella did not have a legitimate argument for this, so she merely smiled and leaned against the hood of the car.

"This graduation is different," she reminded me. "We're graduating _together_." _Together. _That little word had never meant so much.

This thought comforted me, but it did not inspire me to take the position of number one in the class. Bella sensed my discomfort as the students in the lot ogled; they had just heard of my "achievement".

"Come on," she whispered, claiming my full attention. "Let's head home. You'll think about it tonight." I shook my head, opening the passenger door for Bella. She blushed at this old-fashioned act, yet she slid in nonetheless.

I barely watched the road as I drove home. I wasn't thinking of Eric. I wasn't thinking of valedictorians. I was thinking of the way the life flies by so fast for some people, and how high school is only the beginning. If only they knew what it was like for me. If only they knew that high school wasn't only the beginning. It was the beginning, the middle and the end. The end that never came.


	2. Barely Human

When I pulled into the driveway, Emmett's Wrangler was already sitting in the garage. _Damn it. _He'd beaten me home for the past couple of months now, mostly due to my inclination of preventing Bella from having a stroke. Still, it was his victorious thoughts that brought about that frustration that was so rare these days.

"I could take my own car," Bella pointed out, scrutinizing my expression. "I hate holding you back." I tightened my grip on the wheel, shaking my head. She was so perceptive, much more than I could ever dream of being.

"Bella, you have never held me back," I corrected her quietly. Suddenly, we were not talking about childish car racing anymore. "Quite the contrary, actually. You're like a stimulant." Despite my odd word choice, Bella smiled. I watched silently as she rested her forehead against the cool glass window, watching Alice and Jasper dancing through the open door.

"You always compare me to illegal substances," she mentioned, displaying her poor acting skills as a smile broke her pout. I laughed along with her, shaking my head and staring at the car ceiling.

"You have a much stronger affect than any illegal substances," I corrected her, kicking open the car door. In less than a second, I was pulling open the passenger door. With our hands entwined, we headed inside. I could almost hear their thoughts, Esme's especially.

_Valedictorian, again. He's most likely going to fail the next few tests deliberately. That's so like him, to give up everything that he's worked for. Of course, he's only being fair in his mind. _

Emmett, though slightly preoccupied with Rosalie, was amused by the whole situation. _What a dumbass. Just make a goddamn speech at graduation… It's really not that big of a deal. _

"It's a big deal to some of the others, Emmett," I muttered, knowing that he could hear me. Bella glanced up at me in confusion, but I merely shook my head and muttered, "Later." I could hear Emmett sliding open the dining room window, Rosalie's light shadow looming in the background.

"Oh, right," he snapped, his eyes lit up with amusement and his voice heavy with sarcasm. "We all know how you care so much about what those humans think." I glared at Emmett, tightening my arm around Bella's shoulders.

"I take offense to that," Bella teased, blushing slightly. Emmett's loud guffaw sounded as he slid the blinds shut.

"You're hardly a human anymore, Bella," he called. I glanced down at Bella, perturbed by the comment. That was not true, was it? Bella blushed, and she slept. Yes, my Bella slept. But was she human? She certainly did not act _human. _She sat with us, talked with us, talked with almost no one else. She did not have girls' night outs with anybody but Alice, and she was not concerned with her college education.

"Don't listen to him," Bella whispered, taking my face in her hands and looking me in the eye. "He's trying to embarrass us." I scoffed, searching her face.

"You don't know what he's thinking," I reminded her. Bella rolled her eyes, letting her hands drop and connect at the back of my neck.

"Then why don't you tell me?" she challenged. I blinked, yet I focused in on my favorite brother's mind.

_Did that bother him? I need to watch what I say. Esme will be annoyed if he throws another fit later. It's really his fault though, after all. He should just change her already. He can't expect her to live a human life while he's here. And he's not leaving again, so he should just get on with it. _

Typical Emmett. Creating an immortal was certainly not something that you 'got on with'.

"What's he thinking?" Bella persisted, glancing anxiously inside. I zoned out once more, narrowing in on his clear thoughts. They were directed towards me now, as though he was having a one-sided internal conversation.

_She's pale as it is. You can't leave her like that forever. God knows she'll get hurt eventually._

I shook my head with frustration. "No, Emmett," I hissed. "Why did you say that she's 'barely human'," Comprehension filled Emmett's thoughts. I concentrated, though Bella's soft hands on my neck made it quite difficult.

_Bro, she's picked up our habits. She doesn't eat much. She sits still. She barely sleeps. Damn, she doesn't even blink that much. She fits in so naturally, it's not a bad thing. Only you act like being one of us is some revolting, horrible thing. Did you ever consider what _she_ wants? _

"All the time," I muttered instinctively. Bella grimaced, perplexed.

"Is that what you think about?" I asked quietly. "All of the time?" Bella shook her head, picking up on what I meant at once.

"Of course not," she replied. "There are- things- that I think of all of the time. Immortality- being one of you, that is- is only something that I think about at night." I furrowed my brow; she had a way of throwing me off guard. Bella tangled both of her hands in her long mahogany hair, shaking her head in exasperation. Heaving a sigh, she continued.

"Every night, when you try to make me sleep, I can't help but think… I can't help but think that I _shouldn't _be sleeping," she explained. "Did it ever occur to you that I'm not even conscious half the time that we're together?" She looked at me through her eyelashes, not even reacting to the new fallen rain drops. I shook my head.

"It doesn't matter," I replied, concerned with _her _concern. "You sleep talk more than any regular person talks while they're awake."  
"'Regular'?" Bella inquired, widening her eyes in feigned insult. I laughed.

"Bella, you and I both know that you are anything but regular."

I wrapped my arm around her waist as we both headed inside. The first stroke of lightning fell as twilight descended.


End file.
